World Series

Who needs a chain? Leogang results and race action

Leogang produced one of the most breathtaking, nail-biting and spectacular races of the season.

By Faye Brozek and Renners on 14 June 2015

Sunday, June 14 2015, Leogang, Austria. This was the scene of the greatest World Cup Downhill race victory of all-time. We've had big winning margins and wild riding but never have we seen a rider snap a chain at the start of their run only to go on and take the victory.

Leogang produced one of the most breathtaking, nail-biting and spectacular races of the season. Scroll down for all the full results and race action.

Men’s Race

With Aussie pinner Connor Fearon putting in the run of his life, many in the grandstand thought the day's drama was done. Little did we know we were about to witness history in the making from Aaron Gwin.

Sometimes words just aren't enough. Watch the action unfold in the player below.

French flyer Loic Bruni set the early pace, and as more riders crossed the line his time, which initially didn't look fast enough to secure victory, began to hold more and more promise. It wasn't to be Bruni's day however. As the last ten took to the track, times began to tumble.

Pre-race talk was of Bruni's countryman Remi Thirion hitting some crazy lines for a second World Cup win and he did not disappoint. However, Australia's Fearon, who'd previously never finished higher than ninth in his relatively short career, put in a storming run to take the lead and the hot seat. This left one man, Aaron Gwin, with it all to do. Just how much that would turn out to be will go down in downhill mountain biking history.

See Connor Fearon’s race run below

Behind incredible victor Gwin, Fearon and Thirion, another Aussie, Troy Brosnan, put in a sterling run to finish in fourth place, burying unhappy memories of racing in Leogang, where he ruptured his spleen in 2012.

Canada's Stevie Smith, who had his fair share of injuries in 2014, was looking to get back on the podium here but slid out of contention near the top of the track, leaving the familiar faces of Greg Minnaar, Gee Atherton, Josh Bryceland, Loic Bruni, Brook Macdonald and Marcelo Gutiérrez to round out the top ten.

Men’s Results

Women’s Race

It was another spell of bad luck for defending World Cup champion Manon Carpenter, with a similarly unlucky repeat of last weekend's bad luck. Carpenter was set to take the hot seat but less than a second from the finish-line, on the final jump of the track, she misjudged her landing and ended up riding off course – resulting in a disqualified run.

See the mistake that caused Carpenter to be disqualified.

Swiss rider, Emilie Siegenthaler held onto the hot-seat and managed to hold off advances from Tracey Hannah and Jill Kintner. Her reign ended when young British rider Tahnee Seagrave sped into the finish with an impressive seven-second lead.

There were only two ladies left at the top of the hill who could steal from her the chance of her very first World Cup win. Emmeline Ragot looked confident and fast on the course but couldn't keep up with the Brit, who managed to maintain her hotseat. There was only one woman left at the top of the hill, another British rider and last weekend's winner; Rachel Atherton.

Atherton put in a faultless run, making spectators and commentators gasp at her brave line choices. Speeding into the finish she took her first ever win at Leogang with a three-second margin. It's safe to say she was pretty pleased with it.

Sh*t!! Nearly went down hard up top but held her upright & took the win!! BUZZZATRON!! Another 1-2-3 for me, Tahnee Seagrave & Ragot!